Be Still

Class of 2008, our challenge is this: in the steps that lay ahead of us, we will face many trials, but in our trials we must be still and know that He is God.

The passage I am speaking to you from, is Psalm 46, and it goes like this:

“God is our refuge and our strength, 

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, 

though the earth give way 

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 

though its waters roar and foam 

and the mountains quake with their surging.”

We need not worry, for we have God our Father to rely on, in the turbulent world we are entering at this moment.  The mountains we settle our lives on will fall into the sea, but God is there for us as our refuge.  As we move on to the next stage in our life, the many things we find security in will be stripped away.  We will no longer be able to rely on earthly parents consistent presence, for we will be miles away at college, our friends, who we have grown so close to over the years, will be on various campuses with the same fears.    We cannot rely on the people God places in our lives, yet it is through them, God shows us His love for us, just as it is through us He shows His love toward those around us.

I must skip ahead in Psalm 46 for the sake of time, but I shall continue from verse seven:

“Yahweh Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see the works of Yahweh,

the desolation he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, 

he burns the shields with fire.

“Be still and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

God allows us to encounter distress, but he has a purpose in that, and it is peace and rest. 

Often we are unable to see God’s purpose for the trials of our lives, because we can only see so far into time, and since He is the creator, His perception is far greater than ours, thus we are then challenged to do the following: Be still, and know that he is God.

We must remember in all that we encounter in the lifetime ahead, to allow God to actually be God in our lives, especially in the hard times, which are by far the hardest moments for us to relinquish our control over to God.  We must have perseverance in our trials, and we must step out in our faith, for then we shall have joy in the Lord.  When we are still and let God calm the waters of our lives ahead, we can step out in faith for Him, out of the boat that sinks about us in the storms of life, and into the waters, held up by nothing but His hand, for that in the end is all that is needed, the rest God shall provide.   We are like a child thrown into the air by our Father.  This is a  playful act that develops a bond of trust between the parent and child.  When we are in the air during our lives, when our feet are far from solid ground, when we are possibly upside-down, we must be still and know that he is God, he will catch us when we fall.  It is then and only then that we will find joy in our trials as our class verse says, for God is always smiling on us, and only when we trust in Him, can our spirits be calm enough to grant us the chance to return a smile back to our Father.  

So class of 2008, our challenge is, to Be still, and know that He is God, we need not worry about the steps that lay ahead, for he has walked on water ahead of us, and beckons us to follow him.  Smile at your Father in heaven, for as I speak He is smiling upon you; Be still and know that He is your God, God is within you and you will not fall. 

  NOW MEET THE CLASS OF 2008.